Gservo
2nd January 2003, 08:51 PM
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After learning about the increase in April for 13 Marvel Comics, many speculated why this increase was necessary and wondered why comics couldn't cost less. THE PULSE decided to ask those people making comics those questions and below are their responses to two such queries:
1. Thirteen "poor" selling Marvel Comics are going to increase in price from US$2.25 to US$2.99. What do you think of the rate increase? Will it save the titles or push them into the grave sooner?
2. Why can't comics be prices in the US$1.00 to US$1.75 range again? What is going to happen to the industry if these rates keep increasing?
We polled people from all walks of comics life from independents to mainstream to editors and publishers. Some refused to comment, or go "on the record," with any thoughts on this issue. However, collected below, are the opinions of those creators who would and could comment to THE PULSE.
THE PULSE: Thirteen "poor" selling Marvel Comics are going to increase in price from US$2.25 to US$2.99. What do you think of this rate increase? Will it save the titles or push them into the grave sooner?
SEAN McKEEVER: [Marvel Double Shots and Looking At The Front Door.] I think it's a smart move. Marvel staples like THOR and IRON MAN may wind up taking the biggest sales hits, but in the end they'll be more profitable for both Marvel and retailers, and the fans of these books will still get to read 'em.
PETER DAVID: [Captain Marvel, Supergirl, and Young Justice] The reason given was that it was either that or cancel these series. That effectively means that the generally understood cut-off line for cancellation has been moved from around 25,000 copies to 45,000 copies. Marvel has created a new bar for itself in terms of what's profitable.
I think fans will feel the price increase sucks. But the sucking sound you hear will, most likely, be sales being pulled from DC, Image, etc., as retailers on a budget have to make tough choices and opt for keeping their orders level on the higher-selling--and impossible to reorder--Marvel while cutting even closer to the margin on those titles which are not huge sellers. At least, that's my guess.
Me, I've done my bit for trying to keep prices down. Wound up costing me, most likely, at least one friendship, and my place at Marvel for the duration of the current administration. So I'm done breastbeating about it.
MARK ALESSI: [CrossGeneration Comics] Marvel's price increases are Marvel's business
TONY ISABELLA: [Tony's Online Tips] I think $3 comic books are going to be the norm before much longer. It's the only way these corporate comics can survive with the low numbers they have been selling.
These titles already have at least one foot in the grave. I think they're being kept alive to see what effect the new price has on their sales. If the sales don't drop too much, the other titles will doubtless have their prices raised as well.
JAMAL IGLE: [Venture] Well, considering that the only title on the list that I even read regularly is X-Statix is probably indicative of the entire situation. I personally don't think Marvel should raise their prices simply as a measure to try to save them. Have they considered that it may just drive a way a portion of their readership as a result? The problem I see is that Marvel seems to be against increased promotion for the books that aren't selling. Instead of concentrating on books with an X or creating Four different Daredevil Miniseries because of the movie, they could have Marvel's, PR department promote the books if they were really concerned about saving these books. I can't complaining about what they're charging for their books because my book is the same price.
I don't think that it is entirely Marvel's fault that the books don't sell well, I mean, MARVILLE? It's unreadable. I stopped reading IRON MAN for the same reason, it just doesn't appeal to me anymore as a fan. Maybe it's just a case that these books don't have the mass appeal that's need for them to survive. It happens, I've certainly been on enough canceled books to know sometimes things just don't click.
MIKE AVON OEMING: [Powers, Bulletproof Monk, Hammer of the Gods] Honestly, I don't know. Maybe marvel is trying to cover lost revenue on these titles before the cancel them. I have no idea.
BRIAN AUGUSTYN: [Out There, Hell, Warlands] It's a pretty standard maneuver, and not just at Marvel. It actually might save some of the titles for a while--and that's better than simply canceling the books. If the followers of a particular title want to support the book they can step up for their favorites; they can directly aid their own cause. If you love a comic, a relatively small price increase may not matter that much. I would be willing to pay more to keep a favorite book afloat.
VAL STAPLES: [He-Man] I think that more titles will eventually fall by the wayside. But, not because of price, but because of a weaning interest in certain titles. As someone pointed out to me once, when a lot of people purchase a comic, they just pick it up. Price does not always play a factor in whether or not a reader/collector wishes to purchase a book. But it does to someone with limited income, say for instance, a child.
MARK WAID: [Fantastic Four] In a perfect world, it shouldn't matter--I think that most fans who love a book will pay for it whether it's $2.25 or $2.99. But in reality, I think it'll probably drive sales down--retailers have only so much money to spend to order books, and a 35% price hike is pretty substantial.
TED MCKEEVER: [Wonder Woman: Blue Amazon] I think it's absurd. The mark-up on products like CD's, DVDs, comics, hardcover books, etc. is obscene. The cost it takes to produce them, based on the sales they convey are totally unbalanced. Comics being the most outrageous because they contain ads. Ads that pay for themselves. Unless, of course, if the ads are in-house, self-serving, pap, then they do nothing more than echo what's in the book already, more times than not, to the degree of selling yet another look-alike title. The argument that "times have changed" is a load of crap. Yes ,times are more expensive, but everything is relative. People and company get paid more now than ever. The old saying "give the people what they need, not what they want" holds true in the comics industry more now than ever before. Where's the comic you read, folded, shoved in your back pocket and read again until the spine fell apart? Today everything HAS to be bagged, sealed, humidified, and then knighted a "collectors item". But the cost of producing a book by eliminating the way-too-overused effects, bells, and whistles has infected most books today. More black and white books, more use of good old fashioned "color" and not some CGI flavored technique to the gag level. More ads for anything other than another self-serving comic title. In Europe they produce the same books for less, and reach just as wide, and in some cases, wider, audience. Why? Because they serve the public READER first, not the public COLLECTOR. What is going to happen s these 13 titles will pay the price of an early cancellation, for the better-selling titles mistakes and excesses. Like the one child who garnishes good grades, and false praise, while the other dumber child, who does all the work, and is all but ignored, both lose., and so do we.
AL NICKERSON: [Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Arggh Chronicles] It’s a shame that big comic book publishers have to charge so much for their comics. Marvel Comics has the money and clout to control costs. Who needs fancy-schmancy glossy paper stock anyway?
It’s bad enough that comic book sales continue to fall. We don’t need to make it harder for us by making comics so expensive. Readers are going to think twice before picking up a book that costs close to three bucks. If publishers were able to increase sales of their comics, they wouldn’t need to charge so much for each book. What makes a comic book sell well is getting the best artists and writers to work on a book. Enough with the gimmicks already! Who cares about gay cowboys!?!
On that note, I don’t mind paying a little extra for a self-published comic because that’s the only way those creators can survive and keep their comic on the shelves. Also, it would be good for the comics industry to create a wider distribution service. Let’s get more comics where the non-comic book reading public can notice them.
TONY PANACCIO: [CrossGeneration Comics] We're in a recession, and paper availability and costs are rising. We started out pricing our monthly books at $2.95 because we wanted to shoot for high production values and be able to hold the line on those production values without price increases for a long time. That was a luxury afforded us because we were new on the scene three years ago. Other long-time publishers don't have that luxury, and their prices have been climbing steadily for years. As far as whether this will push the titles into cancellation, it's not my place to day. I believe that price point is more relevant with regard to trying to get new readers into comics (like our $7.95 Compendia pricing), and less relevant with regard to chasing fans away from books they currently buy. The one element that is more relevant in that regard is quality. Bad story and poor art is more likely to chase readers away than a few more cents increase in price on existing titles.
PAUL D. STORRIE: [Gotham Girls and Candy Matson] I expect that there will be some drop off in readership based on the price. Some readers will leave because they were only hanging on out of habit and the increase gives them an excuse to leave, some because there are still readers out there who think that comics should be much cheaper than they are (the "I remember when" crowd) and get outraged by price increases, for whatever reason. Whether the gain in revenue from the price increase will balance that is a question better left to those who count beans better than I. My gut says no.
On the plus side, any new readers after this will be introduced to the title at the increased price and likely won't bat an eye at $3.00 an issue. After all, there are plenty of books out there at that price point already.
BEAU SMITH: What Marvel is trying to do is "save" these books for the readers that they do have. By increasing the price they can still publish them at a lower loss or maybe if they're lucky, break even. If they don't raise the prices the books will be axed. Granted, the books in question should be axed if one were to really look at the sales figures and the hopes of them getting better. In that case, raising the price does simply extend the death of the book. Of course there could be other motives behind the price hike , but I like dwell on the "grassy Knoll" end of comics much.
Printing costs for comic books have gone through the roof in the last 10 years. That also has to be added to the problem. Even printing books on cheaper paper and such is costly than most folks really know.
MIKE ALLRED: [X-Statix] I attribute the slow but steady decline in overall comics sales to the ever increasing prices (since the overall quality has increased while sales decrease). It's simply too hard to justify buying them at some point. In the case of the 13 titles--$2.99 is the average cover price, so I don't think it's crushingly drastic and should give the titles a temporary reprieve. I few readers may drop off though--so it's a wash. I wish there was a way to kick back the prices. maybe a radical heavily advertised price cut would increase sales to the point of profit. Too big a gamble I think. When self-publishing we made many decisions based on production costs that made cover prices higher than we would have liked. It's a question of survival.
One last idea: In addition to FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, maybe every title should offer a dollar cover price with each new story line, or for the first 20,000 sold.
After learning about the increase in April for 13 Marvel Comics, many speculated why this increase was necessary and wondered why comics couldn't cost less. THE PULSE decided to ask those people making comics those questions and below are their responses to two such queries:
1. Thirteen "poor" selling Marvel Comics are going to increase in price from US$2.25 to US$2.99. What do you think of the rate increase? Will it save the titles or push them into the grave sooner?
2. Why can't comics be prices in the US$1.00 to US$1.75 range again? What is going to happen to the industry if these rates keep increasing?
We polled people from all walks of comics life from independents to mainstream to editors and publishers. Some refused to comment, or go "on the record," with any thoughts on this issue. However, collected below, are the opinions of those creators who would and could comment to THE PULSE.
THE PULSE: Thirteen "poor" selling Marvel Comics are going to increase in price from US$2.25 to US$2.99. What do you think of this rate increase? Will it save the titles or push them into the grave sooner?
SEAN McKEEVER: [Marvel Double Shots and Looking At The Front Door.] I think it's a smart move. Marvel staples like THOR and IRON MAN may wind up taking the biggest sales hits, but in the end they'll be more profitable for both Marvel and retailers, and the fans of these books will still get to read 'em.
PETER DAVID: [Captain Marvel, Supergirl, and Young Justice] The reason given was that it was either that or cancel these series. That effectively means that the generally understood cut-off line for cancellation has been moved from around 25,000 copies to 45,000 copies. Marvel has created a new bar for itself in terms of what's profitable.
I think fans will feel the price increase sucks. But the sucking sound you hear will, most likely, be sales being pulled from DC, Image, etc., as retailers on a budget have to make tough choices and opt for keeping their orders level on the higher-selling--and impossible to reorder--Marvel while cutting even closer to the margin on those titles which are not huge sellers. At least, that's my guess.
Me, I've done my bit for trying to keep prices down. Wound up costing me, most likely, at least one friendship, and my place at Marvel for the duration of the current administration. So I'm done breastbeating about it.
MARK ALESSI: [CrossGeneration Comics] Marvel's price increases are Marvel's business
TONY ISABELLA: [Tony's Online Tips] I think $3 comic books are going to be the norm before much longer. It's the only way these corporate comics can survive with the low numbers they have been selling.
These titles already have at least one foot in the grave. I think they're being kept alive to see what effect the new price has on their sales. If the sales don't drop too much, the other titles will doubtless have their prices raised as well.
JAMAL IGLE: [Venture] Well, considering that the only title on the list that I even read regularly is X-Statix is probably indicative of the entire situation. I personally don't think Marvel should raise their prices simply as a measure to try to save them. Have they considered that it may just drive a way a portion of their readership as a result? The problem I see is that Marvel seems to be against increased promotion for the books that aren't selling. Instead of concentrating on books with an X or creating Four different Daredevil Miniseries because of the movie, they could have Marvel's, PR department promote the books if they were really concerned about saving these books. I can't complaining about what they're charging for their books because my book is the same price.
I don't think that it is entirely Marvel's fault that the books don't sell well, I mean, MARVILLE? It's unreadable. I stopped reading IRON MAN for the same reason, it just doesn't appeal to me anymore as a fan. Maybe it's just a case that these books don't have the mass appeal that's need for them to survive. It happens, I've certainly been on enough canceled books to know sometimes things just don't click.
MIKE AVON OEMING: [Powers, Bulletproof Monk, Hammer of the Gods] Honestly, I don't know. Maybe marvel is trying to cover lost revenue on these titles before the cancel them. I have no idea.
BRIAN AUGUSTYN: [Out There, Hell, Warlands] It's a pretty standard maneuver, and not just at Marvel. It actually might save some of the titles for a while--and that's better than simply canceling the books. If the followers of a particular title want to support the book they can step up for their favorites; they can directly aid their own cause. If you love a comic, a relatively small price increase may not matter that much. I would be willing to pay more to keep a favorite book afloat.
VAL STAPLES: [He-Man] I think that more titles will eventually fall by the wayside. But, not because of price, but because of a weaning interest in certain titles. As someone pointed out to me once, when a lot of people purchase a comic, they just pick it up. Price does not always play a factor in whether or not a reader/collector wishes to purchase a book. But it does to someone with limited income, say for instance, a child.
MARK WAID: [Fantastic Four] In a perfect world, it shouldn't matter--I think that most fans who love a book will pay for it whether it's $2.25 or $2.99. But in reality, I think it'll probably drive sales down--retailers have only so much money to spend to order books, and a 35% price hike is pretty substantial.
TED MCKEEVER: [Wonder Woman: Blue Amazon] I think it's absurd. The mark-up on products like CD's, DVDs, comics, hardcover books, etc. is obscene. The cost it takes to produce them, based on the sales they convey are totally unbalanced. Comics being the most outrageous because they contain ads. Ads that pay for themselves. Unless, of course, if the ads are in-house, self-serving, pap, then they do nothing more than echo what's in the book already, more times than not, to the degree of selling yet another look-alike title. The argument that "times have changed" is a load of crap. Yes ,times are more expensive, but everything is relative. People and company get paid more now than ever. The old saying "give the people what they need, not what they want" holds true in the comics industry more now than ever before. Where's the comic you read, folded, shoved in your back pocket and read again until the spine fell apart? Today everything HAS to be bagged, sealed, humidified, and then knighted a "collectors item". But the cost of producing a book by eliminating the way-too-overused effects, bells, and whistles has infected most books today. More black and white books, more use of good old fashioned "color" and not some CGI flavored technique to the gag level. More ads for anything other than another self-serving comic title. In Europe they produce the same books for less, and reach just as wide, and in some cases, wider, audience. Why? Because they serve the public READER first, not the public COLLECTOR. What is going to happen s these 13 titles will pay the price of an early cancellation, for the better-selling titles mistakes and excesses. Like the one child who garnishes good grades, and false praise, while the other dumber child, who does all the work, and is all but ignored, both lose., and so do we.
AL NICKERSON: [Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Arggh Chronicles] It’s a shame that big comic book publishers have to charge so much for their comics. Marvel Comics has the money and clout to control costs. Who needs fancy-schmancy glossy paper stock anyway?
It’s bad enough that comic book sales continue to fall. We don’t need to make it harder for us by making comics so expensive. Readers are going to think twice before picking up a book that costs close to three bucks. If publishers were able to increase sales of their comics, they wouldn’t need to charge so much for each book. What makes a comic book sell well is getting the best artists and writers to work on a book. Enough with the gimmicks already! Who cares about gay cowboys!?!
On that note, I don’t mind paying a little extra for a self-published comic because that’s the only way those creators can survive and keep their comic on the shelves. Also, it would be good for the comics industry to create a wider distribution service. Let’s get more comics where the non-comic book reading public can notice them.
TONY PANACCIO: [CrossGeneration Comics] We're in a recession, and paper availability and costs are rising. We started out pricing our monthly books at $2.95 because we wanted to shoot for high production values and be able to hold the line on those production values without price increases for a long time. That was a luxury afforded us because we were new on the scene three years ago. Other long-time publishers don't have that luxury, and their prices have been climbing steadily for years. As far as whether this will push the titles into cancellation, it's not my place to day. I believe that price point is more relevant with regard to trying to get new readers into comics (like our $7.95 Compendia pricing), and less relevant with regard to chasing fans away from books they currently buy. The one element that is more relevant in that regard is quality. Bad story and poor art is more likely to chase readers away than a few more cents increase in price on existing titles.
PAUL D. STORRIE: [Gotham Girls and Candy Matson] I expect that there will be some drop off in readership based on the price. Some readers will leave because they were only hanging on out of habit and the increase gives them an excuse to leave, some because there are still readers out there who think that comics should be much cheaper than they are (the "I remember when" crowd) and get outraged by price increases, for whatever reason. Whether the gain in revenue from the price increase will balance that is a question better left to those who count beans better than I. My gut says no.
On the plus side, any new readers after this will be introduced to the title at the increased price and likely won't bat an eye at $3.00 an issue. After all, there are plenty of books out there at that price point already.
BEAU SMITH: What Marvel is trying to do is "save" these books for the readers that they do have. By increasing the price they can still publish them at a lower loss or maybe if they're lucky, break even. If they don't raise the prices the books will be axed. Granted, the books in question should be axed if one were to really look at the sales figures and the hopes of them getting better. In that case, raising the price does simply extend the death of the book. Of course there could be other motives behind the price hike , but I like dwell on the "grassy Knoll" end of comics much.
Printing costs for comic books have gone through the roof in the last 10 years. That also has to be added to the problem. Even printing books on cheaper paper and such is costly than most folks really know.
MIKE ALLRED: [X-Statix] I attribute the slow but steady decline in overall comics sales to the ever increasing prices (since the overall quality has increased while sales decrease). It's simply too hard to justify buying them at some point. In the case of the 13 titles--$2.99 is the average cover price, so I don't think it's crushingly drastic and should give the titles a temporary reprieve. I few readers may drop off though--so it's a wash. I wish there was a way to kick back the prices. maybe a radical heavily advertised price cut would increase sales to the point of profit. Too big a gamble I think. When self-publishing we made many decisions based on production costs that made cover prices higher than we would have liked. It's a question of survival.
One last idea: In addition to FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, maybe every title should offer a dollar cover price with each new story line, or for the first 20,000 sold.